3D Printing News Digest - May 5, 2026
Published
Bambu X2D Day 9: four-review consensus confirmed, all recommend at $649, external Bowden aux nozzle is the only trade-off. Prusa INDX batch 1 first prints in community now. Prusa firmware 6.5.3: 9-second MMU speedup, CoreXY input shaper X/Y axis bug fixed — update recommended for all MK4 and CORE One users immediately.
Bambu Lab X2D Day 9: Four-Outlet Review Consensus Locked — All Recommend at $649, External Bowden Aux Nozzle Remains the Only Complaint
The Bambu Lab X2D ($649 base, $899 AMS Combo) reaches Day 9 on the market with a complete four-outlet review consensus. Tom's Hardware, TechRadar, Toms3D, and Makers101 have all published assessments, and the verdict is consistent across all four: the X2D is the best dual-material desktop FDM printer at $649. No significant discrepancies between publications, no hardware reliability issues surfacing in early owner reports on the Bambu Lab community forum. The shared positive finding across all four reviewers: the dual-nozzle system works as designed — the primary nozzle handles print material and the auxiliary nozzle handles purging and support interfaces. The 65°C heated chamber enables ABS/ASA printing without warping. LiDAR leveling and AI print monitoring function reliably. Bambu's community forum shows 200+ X2D owner posts in the first 9 days with predominantly positive reports and no systematic quality control issues. The one shared criticism across all four reviewers: the auxiliary nozzle uses an external Bowden extruder rather than direct drive. This limits the aux nozzle to PLA, PETG, ABS, and similar stiff filaments — printing flexible filament (TPU) through the auxiliary nozzle requires workarounds that Bambu acknowledges in documentation. For users who specifically need dual-material TPU printing, the X2D's aux nozzle limitation is a real constraint. For the majority of dual-material use cases (dissolving supports with PVA or HIPS, color mixing with PLA, ABS dual-color components), the external Bowden is a non-issue in practice.
Nine days of market exposure with four positive independent reviews and no systematic hardware complaints is a strong signal for a newly launched printer. The X2D's $649 price — $250 lower than the Bambu X1 Carbon at launch in 2022 — combined with the dual-nozzle system puts it in a category with no direct competition at price: the Bambu AMS multi-material system on X1C and P1S requires the $400 AMS unit plus compatible printer, totaling $900–$1,000 for multi-material capability. The X2D delivers dual-material natively at $649 (or $899 in the Combo configuration with the single-material AMS added for filament spooling). The Prusa CORE One INDX at $749 (for 4-tool capability) and the Snapmaker U1 at $799 (tool-changer) are the X2D's closest competitors for multi-material workflow, but neither matches the X2D's combination of enclosed chamber, speed, and AI monitoring at $649. For the Bambu ecosystem: the X2D replaces the X1 Carbon's position as the flagship multi-material recommendation. The X1 Carbon has been end-of-life'd; X1 Carbon owners evaluating an upgrade are the natural X2D audience, and the dual-nozzle system represents a significant workflow change (no AMS required, no filament spooling for the auxiliary material channel).
💡What this means for you
Bambu Lab X2D at Day 9: Price $649 base / $899 AMS Combo. Reviews: Tom's Hardware (positive), TechRadar (positive), Toms3D (positive), Makers101 (positive). Shared finding: dual-nozzle works as designed, heated chamber 65°C enables ABS/ASA, LiDAR leveling accurate, AI monitoring reliable. Shared concern: auxiliary nozzle uses external Bowden extruder — limits aux material to stiff filaments (PLA/PETG/ABS/ASA), TPU aux printing requires workarounds. Community forum: 200+ Day 9 posts, no systematic QC issues. Available: in stock, ships within days. X1 Carbon: EOL, no longer in production.
Market Position: X2D occupies a clear position at Day 9: best dual-material desktop FDM at $649. Competitors: Prusa CORE One INDX ($749/4T, $999/8T, requires add-on kit + base printer), Snapmaker U1 ($799, tool-changer), Bambu P1S + AMS ($800+). X2D's advantage: lowest entry price for a fully enclosed dual-material system with 65°C chamber + AI monitoring. Disadvantage: aux nozzle external Bowden limits flexible material printing. For flexible dual-material (TPU + TPU color, TPU + TPU hardness gradients): X2D is not the right tool. For rigid dual-material (PLA/PETG/ABS combinations, PVA/HIPS dissolving supports): X2D is the clearest value proposition at $649.
- Does Bambu release a firmware update that enables direct drive mode for the auxiliary extruder, or is the Bowden configuration permanent by design?
- Does the X2D AMS Combo configuration allow four-material switching through the AMS on the primary nozzle while the auxiliary nozzle handles a fifth material — and what are the practical limits of this configuration?
- At Day 30, does the community forum reveal any wear patterns or maintenance requirements on the dual-nozzle lifting mechanism that were not apparent in the first 9 days?
⏸️ Wait if: You specifically need dual-material flexible filament (TPU) capability from both nozzles — the X2D aux nozzle Bowden extruder limits flexible material in the auxiliary channel; the Bambu P1S or Snapmaker U1 may better fit that specific use case
✅ Buy if: You need dual-material capability for dissolving supports or rigid-material dual-color printing in an enclosed machine at $649 — four independent reviews confirm the X2D delivers on all core use cases at the lowest entry price in the category
Prusa CORE One INDX Batch 1 First Prints: Community Sharing 8-Material Output — What the Early Results Show
Prusa CORE One INDX Batch 1 units are in users' hands and first real-world multi-material prints are appearing in the Prusa community forum, Reddit (r/prusa3d), and Printables.com. The INDX upgrade kit (Bondtech-developed, Prusa-sold) adds an external 8-station tool-changer to the CORE One+ base printer, enabling up to 8 simultaneous materials with near-zero waste between tool changes. Batch 1 pricing: $749 for the 4-tool configuration, $999 for the 8-tool configuration. Batch 1 sold out in approximately 1.5 days when it opened April 24. The community posts as of May 5 show: multi-material prints with 4–8 colors simultaneously are working as advertised. Tool-change time appears consistent with Prusa's stated performance — the community is describing tool changes as fast enough to be non-disruptive to print time on most complex models. Purge waste is the primary variable in early reports: the INDX's tool-changer mechanism produces less waste per change than filament-swapping AMS systems, but individual users are reporting variation based on temperature tuning and retraction settings. No systematic hardware failures or quality control issues in the Batch 1 reports available as of today. Batch 2 timeline: Prusa has not announced Batch 2 availability. Community consensus is that Batch 2 timing is unknown, with the official channel being the Prusa watchdog notification at prusa3d.com.
The Prusa CORE One INDX occupies a specific position in the multi-material market that is worth understanding precisely: it is a tool-changer for the CORE One+, not a standalone printer. The correct budget comparison is: CORE One+ (~$1,000 kit or $1,100 assembled) + INDX $999 (8T) = approximately $2,000 total for an 8-material tool-changer system. At that total cost, the INDX/CORE One system competes against the Bambu X1C + AMS 2 Pro (4 materials, ~$1,200) for capability, but with fundamentally different architecture: tool-changer physically swaps nozzle tools (no purging required between tools of the same type) vs. AMS filament-loading (requires purging between colors). The INDX tool-changer advantage is specifically in flexible filament multi-material: each tool has its own direct-drive extruder and hotend, so you can mix TPU + TPU colors, TPU + PLA, TPU + rigid supports without the Bowden compromise that limits the X2D's aux nozzle for flexible materials. The tradeoff is build volume: tool-changer systems use some build area for tool parking, and the CORE One's build volume decreases slightly with the INDX docked. For the specific use case of 4–8 material prints with flexible filament capability: the INDX is currently the only desktop tool-changer at its price point confirmed working by Batch 1 users.
💡What this means for you
Prusa CORE One INDX Batch 1 status: delivered to backers, first prints in community (May 5). Configurations: 4T ($749) and 8T ($999). INDX architecture: Bondtech external tool-changer, each tool has independent direct-drive extruder + hotend. Tool-change waste: lower than AMS filament-swap systems in community reports, variable by temperature/retraction tuning. Batch 2: no timeline announced. Watchdog notifications: prusa3d.com. Total system cost (8T INDX + CORE One+): ~$2,000 assembled. Tool-changer build volume reduction: minor, CORE One+ base volume ~220×220×250mm. Compatible materials per tool: any — each tool fully independent (enables TPU + rigid dual-material without Bowden compromise).
Market Position: INDX fills the gap between consumer AMS-style multi-material (Bambu, Creality ACE) and professional tool-changer systems (E3D ToolChanger, Prusa XL). INDX is the only desktop tool-changer currently confirmed shipping at its price point with first-user validation. Alternative paths: Bambu X2D ($649, dual nozzle, confirmed Day 9) for rigid dual-material; Snapmaker U1 ($799, tool-changer, single extruder per tool) for multi-material at lower total cost; Prusa XL (5-tool standard, $2,400+) for higher-end professional tool-changer at higher cost.
- Does the Batch 1 community report any purge waste reduction technique specific to the INDX that isn't covered in the official Prusa documentation?
- When does Batch 2 open — and will Prusa announce a pricing change between Batch 1 ($749/4T, $999/8T) and Batch 2?
- Does the INDX tool-changer introduce any Prusa Slicer configuration requirements that differ significantly from standard CORE One+ print profiles?
⏸️ Wait if: You missed Batch 1 — register for the Prusa watchdog at prusa3d.com for Batch 2 notification; no estimated timeline, but Batch 1 results make Batch 2 worth waiting for if the INDX's tool-changer architecture fits your multi-material needs
✅ Buy if: You have a CORE One+ and were on the Batch 2 watchlist — community Batch 1 reports validate the INDX as working as advertised; Batch 2 purchase at confirmed pricing is the next step when it opens
Prusa Firmware 6.5.3: 9-Second MMU Speedup and CoreXY Input Shaper Axis Bug Fixed — Update Recommended for All MK4 and CORE One Users
Prusa Research released firmware 6.5.3 for the MK4S, MK4, MK3.9S, MK3.9, MK3.5S, MK3.5, CORE One, CORE One+, and CORE One L. The update delivers two headline changes with material real-world impact. First: MMU filament change speedup — firmware 6.5.3 reduces multi-material filament change time by up to 9 seconds per tool change versus 6.5.2. On a print with 200 tool changes (typical for detailed 5-color miniature or logo prints), this is a savings of approximately 30 minutes of total print time with no change to print quality. The speedup applies to MMU users on all MK4 and CORE One platform printers. Second: CoreXY input shaper axis swap bug fix — firmware 6.5.3 corrects a longstanding bug affecting CoreXY printers (CORE One, CORE One+, CORE One L) in which the X and Y input shaper resonance parameters were silently reversed in firmware. This means: if you ran input shaper resonance compensation on a CORE One running firmware before 6.5.3, the X-axis resonance correction was applied to the Y-axis and vice versa. The practical effect: input shaper was reducing ringing in the wrong axis and potentially increasing ringing in the corrected axis. Prusa recommends re-running input shaper calibration after updating to 6.5.3 on all CORE One variants. The update is available via Prusa Connect, Prusa Slicer automatic firmware prompt, and direct download at prusa3d.com/firmware-download.
The CoreXY input shaper axis swap is the more significant fix in 6.5.3 for CORE One owners, even though it's described as a bug correction rather than a feature addition. Input shaper (resonance compensation) is the technology that allows Prusa printers to run at high speeds without ghosting artifacts — it measures the printer's resonance frequency on each axis and applies a compensation filter tuned to that frequency. If the X and Y parameters were reversed, CORE One owners who ran input shaper calibration were applying the wrong compensation — potentially making print quality worse at high speeds, not better. After updating to 6.5.3, re-run the input shaper calibration from the Calibration menu before your next print job. This is a 3–5 minute process that should be done once. If you do not re-run calibration, 6.5.3 will use your previous (reversed) calibration data, which is now correctly assigned but may have been measured under the previous reversed assignment — either way, re-calibration ensures clean data. For MMU users on MK4 or CORE One: the 9-second speedup requires no action. It applies automatically after updating. The cumulative time savings over a month of multi-material printing with 50+ print jobs is significant enough to justify updating even for users who don't have the CoreXY input shaper issue.
💡What this means for you
Firmware 6.5.3 applies to: MK4S, MK4, MK3.9S, MK3.9, MK3.5S, MK3.5, CORE One, CORE One+, CORE One L. Change 1 (MMU speedup): up to 9 seconds per filament change vs. 6.5.2. Impact: ~30 min savings on 200-change print. No configuration change required — automatic after update. Change 2 (CoreXY input shaper fix): X and Y resonance parameters were silently reversed in CoreXY firmware prior to 6.5.3. Fix: parameters now correctly assigned. Required action after update: re-run input shaper calibration from Calibration menu (3–5 min). Applies to: CORE One, CORE One+, CORE One L. Does not affect Cartesian printers (MK4, MK4S, MK3.x). Update path: Prusa Connect, PrusaSlicer firmware prompt, or direct download at prusa3d.com.
Market Position: The 6.5.3 input shaper fix is particularly relevant in the context of Bambu's input shaper implementation, which has been a competitive differentiator in Bambu marketing. If CORE One owners were unknowingly running reversed input shaper parameters before 6.5.3, their printer's performance at high speed was suboptimal — the 6.5.3 fix restores the CORE One to its correctly calibrated baseline. Combined with the MMU speedup, 6.5.3 is the most functionally impactful firmware update for CORE One and MMU users since the printer launched.
- How long was the CoreXY input shaper axis swap bug present — did it ship with the original CORE One firmware, or was it introduced in a previous update?
- For CORE One owners who ran input shaper calibration before 6.5.3 and had high ghosting at high speeds: will re-running calibration after 6.5.3 resolve the ghosting issue entirely?
- Does the MMU speedup affect the filament runout detection reliability — any early community reports of false runout triggers after 6.5.3?
⏸️ Wait if: No reason to wait — 6.5.3 is a free firmware update with no downgrade risk; install from Prusa Connect or PrusaSlicer prompt immediately
✅ Buy if: Update immediately if you run an MMU on MK4/CORE One (9-second per-change speedup) or if you use input shaper resonance compensation on CORE One variants (re-run calibration after updating to apply the correct axis parameters)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Bambu Lab X2D worth buying at Day 9?▼
Yes — four independent reviews (Tom's Hardware, TechRadar, Toms3D, Makers101) all recommend the X2D as the best dual-material desktop FDM printer at $649. The only shared complaint is the external Bowden extruder on the auxiliary nozzle, which limits flexible filament (TPU) in the aux channel. For PLA, PETG, ABS, and HIPS/PVA dissolving supports: the X2D delivers on all use cases. Day 9 shows no systematic QC issues.
What is the Prusa CORE One INDX and is it available?▼
The Prusa CORE One INDX is an external 8-station tool-changer add-on for the CORE One+ printer, developed by Bondtech. Batch 1 (4T $749 / 8T $999) sold out in 1.5 days when it opened April 24. Batch 2 has no announced timeline — register for Prusa's watchdog notification at prusa3d.com. Batch 1 first-print community reports are positive: tool changes work as advertised with low purge waste.
Should I update to Prusa firmware 6.5.3 right now?▼
Yes. If you run an MMU on a MK4 or CORE One: the update is automatic and saves up to 9 seconds per tool change immediately. If you have a CORE One (CoreXY): update, then re-run input shaper calibration from the Calibration menu — the update fixes a bug where X and Y resonance parameters were reversed in firmware. Update via Prusa Connect, PrusaSlicer prompt, or directly at prusa3d.com/firmware-download.
How does the Prusa CORE One INDX compare to the Bambu X2D for multi-material printing?▼
Different architectures for different use cases. X2D ($649): dual nozzle, single machine, rigid materials only in aux channel, no tool parking, best for rigid dual-color or dissolving-support workflows. INDX + CORE One+ (~$2,000 total): true tool-changer, 8 independent tools with direct-drive extruders, TPU in any tool slot, ~30 min savings per 200-change print after firmware 6.5.3 MMU speedup. The INDX wins for flexible-material multi-material; X2D wins for cost-efficiency in rigid dual-material.